In recent months, the idea of Britishness has become more prominent as a fresh wave of nationalism fueled by Brexit and its supporters has risen in the United Kingdom. The rise of nationalism in England has also incited nationalism in the other nations of the United Kingdom--Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland--with a prime example being the proposal of a second vote for Scottish Independence after the vote to Leave (O’Toole). In Dr. Christina Julios’ book about the impact of language on the formation of what may be considered the British national identity, she quotes Professor Sir Bernard Crick who stated: “...there is no overall British culture, only a sharing of cultures. Britishness is a strong concept, but narrower than many suppose. Do we not speak of and recognize at once English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh novels, plays and poems? And whatever FIFA may think, we see nothing odd in fielding four national football teams” (Julios 3-4). So, in this sense I find that a single national identity of the UK does not formally exist. Rather, the abstract collection of the identities of those living in the four nations of the United Kingdom can be perceived as the de facto national identity.
As Crick explained previously, the British national identity does not necessarily exist as a whole as it may in other nations in Europe. Rather, what others perceive as the British national identity is the collection of the identities of all the nations in the UK and how each of them either shares a part of their identity with another or relies on the existence of a contrasting identity in another nation to form their own. The formation of the English national identity, for example, stems from being the first organized nation on the British isles, allowing them to develop their culture as a dominant force in the area both politically and militarily from the get-go (Smith 439). Scots on the other hand often identify themselves with their place of birth or their accent (Kiely 35-36) since, unlike physical differences between people groups in other nations outside of the United Kingdom, the Scots and the English do not appear to be different until you hear one or the other speak.
For the Welsh, over half the population self-identifies as either solely Welsh or Welsh and British (University of Manchester). Among other things, the Welsh language serves as the foremost definer of Welsh national identity. Since only 19% of the Welsh population speak the language, its presence on street signs and its use in government and business has been reformed as to further encourage the use of Welsh in order to maintain their national identity (Shipton). In a study by the Northern Irish Assembly, Protestants in Northern Ireland identified primarily as British (65%) while Catholics identified the most with Ireland (61%), while those identifying with Northern Ireland among both religious groups sit at more or less the same level (25-29%). The majority religious group in Northern Ireland is Protestantism, so in combination with the previous figure the majority identity of the Northern Irish is with the United Kingdom rather than with Northern Ireland itself or the Irish Republic.
Since all four nations are in a collective (politically and culturally), the British national identity forms from the sharing and contrasting of different aspects of each of the four national identities. This sharing includes behaviors and cultural norms that are common throughout the United Kingdom. These behaviors are described in Nasar Meer’s article on the concept of British national identity which reads: “One influential articulation in governmental policy and discourse, frequently discussed in the press, has sought to renew or reinvigorate British national identity through the promotion of common civic values, as well as English language competencies; a wider knowledge of – and self-identification with – cultural, historical and institutional heritages, in addition to approved kinds of political engagement and activity” (Meer 9). The shared value of political engagement can be seen even more today than in the past due to the current situation in the United Kingdom. Due to the fact that the majority of the British population is white at 86 percent (“Census”), all four nations continue to participate in one common behavior in that they other or do not other immigrants and PoC in the United Kingdom in order to further form what they perceive as the British national identity. For example, the majority of those who voted Stay in the Brexit vote tended to be in large cities with large immigrant populations while those who voted Leave tended to be in the suburban and rural areas where the population is lacking a significant immigrant population. Both sides had and continue to have their own perceived view of the attitude towards immigrants and minorities within the British national identity that justified their decision in the Brexit vote (Taylor).
The issue of assimilation stems from this same issue of othering immigrants and those born in the UK but not to traditional British heritage. Some of those who voted Leave would rather the communities of immigrants remain segregated in their own neighborhoods, free to practice their cultures internally without affecting the British national identity. However, some of those who voted Stay were looking for complete integration of minorities into the British populace and their cultures into the British national identity, ultimately resulting in the removal of multiculturalism all together. Mike Gonzalez quoted progressive politician Trevor Phillips who stated: “Separate communities are actually undermining one of the most cherished of left-wing values - social solidarity” (Gonzalez). Therefore, the British national identity includes several cultural and linguistic similarities among the nations of the UK, but it also includes social attitudes which are used to support several opposing views on how the British national identity should continue to form in the future.
In the end, the British national identity continues to be absent compared to the identity of the French or the Germans. Rather, the UK has created over hundreds of years an identity that consists of a commingling of Scottish, English, Welsh, and Northern Irish national identities and cultures that sometimes clash but often overlap. The unity of these nations in the political realm also contributes to the national identity as people all over the United Kingdom are involved in a single political process that reveals the similarities and/or differences in social and cultural attitudes within the country.
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References
Gonzalez, Mike. “There Is a Better Way to Help Immigrants Assimilate.” Time, 17 January 2017, http://time.com/4626002/multiculturalism-assimilation-immigrants/.
Julios, Christina, Dr. Studies in Migration and Diaspora: Contemporary British Identity: English Language, Migrants and Public Discourse. Ashgate, 2012. ProQuest ebrary.
Kiely, Richard et al. “The markers and rules of Scottish national identity.” Sociological Review, vol. 49, no. 1, February 2001, http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.seattleu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=7741c62f-8ef3-42f0-9b62-4acbd226b380%40sessionmgr4008&vid=1&hid=4107
Meer, Nasar et al. “Embodying Nationhood? Conceptions of British national identity, citizenship, and Gender in the ‘Veil Affair’.” Sociological Review, vol. 58, no. 1, February 2010, http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.seattleu.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=202da6ed-a67f-4024-b4c9-78d90026110b%40sessionmgr4008&vid=0&hid=4214&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=47601730&db=sih.
Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Assembly. Understanding the ‘Northern Irish’ Identity. 2015, http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/globalassets/documents/raise/knowledge_exchange/briefing_papers/series4/northern_ireland_identity_garry_mcnicholl_policy_document.pdf.
O’Toole, Fintan. “Brexit is being driven by English nationalism. And it will end in self-rule.” The Guardian, 18 June 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/18/england-eu-referendum-brexit.
Shipton, Martin. “Croeso i Gymru! Welsh language signs to have greater prominence than English across Wales.” Wales Online, 2 June 2014, http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/welsh-language-signs-greater-prominence-7206243.
Smith, Anthony D. “‘Set in the silver sea’: English national identity and European integration.” Nations & Nationalism, vol. 12, no. 3, July 2006, http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.seattleu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=39da9c5a-640d-46dc-97cf-9870a4b998cd%40sessionmgr103&vid=1&hid=128.
Taylor, Adam. “The uncomfortable question: Was the Brexit vote based on racism?.” The Washington Post, 25 June 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/06/25/the-uncomfortable-question-was-the-brexit-vote-based-on-racism/?utm_term=.1b0a05bb311b.
United Kingdom, Office for National Statistics. 2011 Census: Population Estimates for the United Kingdom, 27 March 2011. 27 March 2011, http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_290685.pdf
University of Manchester. “Who identifies as Welsh?.” Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity, November 2014, http://www.ethnicity.ac.uk/medialibrary/briefings/dynamicsofdiversity/code-census-briefing-national-identity-wales.pdf.
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